The present invention relates to a printing machine and, more particularly, to a data recorder for imprinting forms with fixed data from embossed printing plates and variable data from selectively settable print wheels. Such data recorders are commonly used to record printed sales transactions from embossed credit cards.
In recent years, credit transactions have come into wide-spread usage in many different fields and a variety of data recorders have been provided for use in these applications. One such data recorder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,091 and is adapted for imprinting from embossed printing plates onto carbon interleaved forms utilizing a dry roller platen, or it may be provided with an ink impregnated roller platen for imprinting single-part forms. The data recorder also includes variable data print wheels which are selectively settable by keyset levers. This type of data recorder provides for recording the name, address and account number of the customer from the printing plate, and the variable data such as the amount of the sale from the selectively settable print wheels.
Another data recorder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,634 and comprises variable data print wheels and a blocking means to prevent movement of the platen through a printing operation in all instances wherein at least one of the print wheels has not been reset following a preceeding printing operation. The blocking means prevents inadvertent operation due to failure of the machine operator to reset the print wheels to a new setting prior to each printing operation, since the machine requires that at least one of the print wheels be reset before an impression on the form can be made.
Still another data recorder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,802 and provides means for restoring the variable data print wheels to a zero position in response to movement of the roller platen through a printing operation, and means to inhibit further operation by preventing the closing of a pivotal head assembly unless at least one of the print wheels has been reset to a non-zero value.
Still other data recorders which provide for restoring the keyset levers and corresponding print wheels to a zero position following a printing operation, and blocking means for inhibiting movement of the platen if at least one of the keyset levers is not moved from the zero position to a new setting are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,826,190 and 3,865,026.